Jessica Chastain

Star Trek Into Darkness Boldly Goes Where Star Trek's Been Before

Julianne Moore on Maisie, Carrie, and Sarah Palin

The star tells me about being in all of the movies, period

Terrence Malick's Gorgeous and Ridiculous To the Wonder

Thinly Veiled but Unmistakably Bad

Passion Returns: My Review

The 1994 musical Passion--with a score by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine--was an adaptation of the 1981 Italian film Passione d'Amore, about a sickly, unattractive woman who fixates on a handsome soldier in 19th Century Italy and wills him to love her back. I loved the movie because th ... More >>

Jessica Vs. Jennifer: Who'll Nab The Oscar? I Break It Down For You

It's neck and neck between Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence for the Best Actress Oscar, and in hopes of deciding which of them will get it--to avoid a hideous embarrassment like last year--I'm going to lay out all their individual pros and cons. JESSICA CHASTAIN PROS: She's very strong in ... More >>

Throw Mama From the Train, Please

Less scary than a call from Mom

Oscar Movie Guide: What's Worth Seeing, From "Pi" to "Zero"

For a grim slog, the Oscar movies are pretty fun

Meredith Vieira: "I Feel Like Dead Pussy Galore!"

Meredith Vieira was delightful as the MC of last night's National Board of Review awards at Cipriani. She kept things zingy, and after Daniel Craig and Barbara Broccoli took the stage for a tribute to 50 years of Bond films, Vieira quipped, "So James Bond is 50 and he still looks good. I'm 59 and I ... More >>

Disabilities Will Permeate The Oscar Nominees

Get sick on screen, cough a little too hard, and you've got a nomination all locked up. Here are some of the frontrunners for nomination consideration, who will suddenly feel much better if they're announced among the chosen this Thursday. Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone (above). The French favo ... More >>

The Thrilling Manhunt of Zero Dark Thirty

Darkness on the edge of town

My Oscar Predictions As Of This Moment!

Naturally, they might change--especially when I see every last film--but right now, this is what I'm predicting on goldderby.com (where they ask various commentators for their incredibly prescient forecasts and expect them to be accurate). SUPPORTING ACTRESS 1--Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables 2--S ... More >>

Jessica Chastain on Broadway In The Heiress: My Review

A well made play by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from Henry James' 1880 novel Washington Square, The Heiress is back in a sturdy if not revelatory production. The play was last on Broadway in 1995, in a stunning revival starring Cherry Jones as Catherine Sloper, the shy plain Jane who's awakene ... More >>

Here Are The Oscar Best Actress Front Runners

It's never too soon to start guessing Oscar nominations, so I've done some exhaustive research--like talking to one friend in the biz, as well as plumbing the depths of my own usually-semi-right instincts--and decided that the five nominees will probably come from these seven bigshots: Marion Coti ... More >>

Jessica Chastain: "They Said I Wasn't Pretty Enough"

Jessica Chastain is not only an acclaimed actress, she's quite beautiful, so I was stunned to hear her tell the TimesTalk audience last night about her shaky reception when she first went on auditions in L.A. "Many people didn't know what Juilliard was," she said, "or didn't care about my theatrica ... More >>

Lawless Dish About Shia, Tom Hardy, and Jessica Chastain

At a BoConcept dinner at Chateau Chang last night, I met Dany Wolf, who executive produced Lawless, the period drama about a bootlegging gang. On command, Wolf graciously gave me some insight into the all-star shooting. *Said Wolf: "Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy showed up on the set looking bigger ... More >>

In Prohibition Drama Lawless, Looks Trump Drama

Hillbillies versus peacocks

Cannes Film Festival: Lawless, Laurence Anyways, Beyond the Hills

As a major festival like Cannes wears on, my notebook accumulates more scrawl than I can translate into full blog posts. So, behold! The first of likely several notebook dumps, with thoughts on John Hillcoat's bootleggers-with-hearts-of-gold vs. sexually-ambiguous-evil-fed and weak-ass local law ... More >>

Why I Hate Movies And Will Never See One Again!

38 cinematic reasons why I dread the lights going down

My Thoughts On The Oscars As They Happen!

The show started with great dignity. Morgan Freeman came out and a friend of mine said, "Is that the one who fucks the granddaughter?"

Meryl Won't Win, and Other Surefire Oscar Predictions

This is the only ballot you'll need at your viewing party

My Final Oscar Nomination Predictions!

​The nominations will be announced tomorrow morning, but you might as well just go by this list, which has been officially certified by the Dionne Warwick Psychic Hotline. BEST PICTURE (Ranked in descending order of likelihood) 1--The Artist 2--The Descendants 3--The Help 4--Hugo 5--Mo ... More >>

The Year in Film: Film Poll Voter Comments

Critics elaborate on their votes, their favorite movie moments of the year and OK OK WE GET IT YOU LIKE MARGARET

Harvey Weinstein is Back -- NY Film Critics

The big news to emerge from yesterday's New York Film Critics Circle voting--held early this year to scoop the other year end awards--is, of course, the second coming of homeboy Harvey Weinstein. Not only was The Artist voted best picture and its director Michel Hazanavicius anointed Best Director ... More >>

Free Will Astrology: November 23-29, 2011

Cops on the Prowl for a Swampland Murderer in Texas Killing Fields

Apocalypse Now: Financial and Mental Meltdown in Take Shelter

Fall Arts: Film Picks

Mossad Retiree Helen Mirren Can't Escape Her Nazi-Catching Past in The Debt

The Year's Most Present Actress By Far

​I think that sounds nicer than "omnipresent," since it's not her fault that every movie she's ever done seems to be coming out all at once. She's Jessica Chastain, the 31-year-old beauty who's showing her range--and incredible aptitude for achievement--in the following 2011 films:

The Difficult Gifts of The Tree of Life

Summer Movie Guide 2011

Superheroes, sequels, and TWO Conans! Summer has arrived.

Wandering a Hectic Storyboard with Jolene

Too Close for Comfort

The family romance turns homoerotic in Nelson's new play